Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood

4 reviews

augie_'s review

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

aserra's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Foremost, a disclaimer: as an admirer of Margaret Atwood's wielding of language from poetry to prose, most, if not all, of her books are likely to receive a rating of 3-stars or above from me, because I'm the kind of reader who derives great pleasure from glittering writing.

In my experience of reading, Surfacing manages to juggle a nuanced diachronic nature. The pacing of events are slow, while the prose constructs a quick highway for reading. Atwood's roots as a poet really shine through, I think, while establishing her as a tour de force in fiction (this was her second book of fiction published, if I'm not mistaken).

The characters are realistically, wonderfully, and often infuriatingly as layered and jagged as everyday people. With her expert crafting of character, Atwood paves a smooth road into the utter suspension of disbelief.

The story leaves the reader with much to dwell on, and I found myself frequently flipping back to early pages in the novel to connect the dots. A mysterious, intellectual read. Is is Atwood's best novel? I don't think so, but great nonetheless. As I continue to unpack and attempt to draw more connections, the rating of this may change (likely to increase).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Abortion, and Mental illness

jettaparadis's review

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the second novel from Atwood I have read after The Edible Woman and I would say they are quite similar and they really leave you thinking and I read it so fast I was done within a weekend but could have finished in one sitting. This is a book that I want to talk about to everyone I know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

futureofmydays's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment